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Hackmaster Second Session |
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Written by Mark Caliber
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Monday, 03 August 2009 |
HackMaster the Second Session (By Mark Caliber)
As much as I want to grumble, I have to admit that I’m enjoying myself. It could be the GM but I also have to give credit to KenzerCo as well.
In spite of the title this game is NOT a Hackfest. Unlike the original D&D, there’s some Role Playing to be done! (as opposed to exclusively being a Roll Playing Game.)
HackMaster the Second Session (By Mark Caliber)
As much as I want to grumble, I have to admit that I’m enjoying myself. It could be the GM but I also have to give credit to KenzerCo as well.
I remember the original Keep on the Borderlands and lets get down to it, it was terribly simple. It was a simple map with some vaguely related list of tips and hints that you could pick up at the local inn, and a compilation of monsters and treasure. You went it, you killed everything in site, got the loot and xp, and viola! Done.
Not so with HackMaster. Sure there’s the obligatory list of rumors, the monsters are there with their treasure to be collected, but underlying it all is also a concrete well thought out STORY!
In spite of the title this game is NOT a Hackfest. Unlike the original D&D, there’s some Role Playing to be done! (as opposed to exclusively being a Roll Playing Game.)
Our tiny band is currently trolling the tunnels in Quest for the Unknown, and though we’ve only scratched the surface of this module, I get the feeling that not only is there a mystery to be uncovered, but there’s actually several plots simmering under the surface. Heck in this last session, we got a tip regarding the next module, “The Keep on the Borderlands!”
Still, mechanically HackMaster is a tough game. The Gawds* alone know whether or not my PCs will survive (I’m on my second in two sessions) but the folks at KenzerCo have put together a fun game, by adapting all the kewl things about the original D&D and then planning off the painful bits and sanding down the rough patches. Then they’ve gone ahead and added some juicy bits in a manner that truly shows some solid improvement.
Think I’m exaggerating? I recently stumbled across a forum discussing the merits of D&D 4.0 and for the most part, I couldn’t tell if they were talking about D&D or HackMaster. I eventually figured out that it was the aborted reboot of D&D and you know what? Those bastards at Wizards of the Coast not only cancelled KenzerCo’s license for HackMaster (the REAL D&D 4th edition) but they plagiarized all the improvements from KenzerCo!
So if you’re playing D&D, and want to know what a really cool table top is supposed to look like, go get a copy of HackMaster Basic. I think you’ll learn something.
Now, my one reservation is the Magic system. It’s still level based and I don’t like the limitations that go with it. Frankly, I would almost prefer the old D&D magic system to what HackMaster has. Let me break it down to let you know what I’m talking about.
In HackMaster, a Level 1 mage (or cleric) can cast 1 level 1 spell per day. The Mages have to squirrel around for spell books so that they can “learn” about different spells, which then in turn can be memorized. Now our current party Mage has one spell in his spell book that he can memorize. (It’s a spell which blasts doors open. Great for opening doors, but not too keen in combat.) At level two, our mage will be able to cast a single level 1 spell once a day and then also cast a level 2 spell once a day.
Not much improvement there is there?
In the original D&D, I do know that the Level 1 mage could at LEAST cast up to three level one spells per day. (You could even cast 1 spell 3 times a day.)
So with the exception of the Magic system, I like the improvements to HackMaster, so far.
Looking for a kewl Magic system that is internally consistent, exhaustively complete, and features a prerequisite list that requires copious study? Check out the GURPS Magic system.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 03 August 2009 )
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